The concept of Eternal thing in Christianity
The keyphrase "Eternal thing" encapsulates various beliefs across different religious traditions. In Christianity, it signifies spiritual truths and promises, such as eternal life and divine grace. Gnosticism views it as everlasting realities, contrasting with transient worldly matters. Protestantism emphasizes eternal life through faith in Jesus, while Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism highlight the unchanging nature of spiritual matters. Early Christianity focuses on the enduring aspects created by God, asserting that eternal things exist beyond time and decay, emphasizing their significance over temporal pleasures.
Synonyms: Infinite object, Timeless thing, Timeless existence, Everlasting object, Immortal thing, Endless being
In Dutch: Eeuwig ding; In Finnish: Ikuinen asia; In Spanish: Cosa eterna; In German: Ewige Sache; In Malay: Perkara yang kekal; In Swedish: Evig sak; In French: Chose Ă©ternelle
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
Christian concept of 'Eternal thing'
From: Ante-nicene Fathers
(1) These are concepts that the Lord prefigures by temporal things, and show that the Lord is able to extend both healing and life to his creation, by temporal examples.[1] (2) Gaining understanding of these concepts is not possible without acquiring knowledge from the true Prophet.[2] (3) This refers to the things that should be followed, as well as all things that must be done after the will of God, so that one may follow the divine footsteps and teachings of our Lord.[3] (4) These are enduring and everlasting concepts, representing a state or condition that is reached by avoiding temporal distractions and focusing on actions of a spiritual nature, as the provided text emphasizes.[4] (5) Eternal things are created by the Eternal One, contrasting with the temporary nature of things created by a corruptible one, and are not subject to decay.[5]
From: Summa Theologica (English translation)
(1) These are only subject to providence, according to some, while others believe that corruptible things are not under providence in their individual selves, as explained in the text.[6] (2) The aspects of an individual's existence, which, when seen, will make all things in their consciences visible, especially as the Divine power aids in the judgment.[7] (3) These are matters of faith, and to know what one ought to believe belongs to the gift of knowledge, but to know these things in themselves belongs to the gift of wisdom.[8] (4) These are the things that are not seen and are not temporal, and the Apostle's words encourage individuals to look towards them, and not towards things that are seen.[9] (5) These are the object of faith, and they never change, and they are the subject matter in which faith finds its origin and basis.[10]
From: The city of God
(1) Eternal things are things that are to be enjoyed rather than used, and are contrasted with the things of time, which are to be used for the sake of the eternal ones.[11]
From: Works of St. Anselm
(1) These are entities that possess a quality of enduring existence, yet their existence is not as complete as the one that precedes and transcends them, having a future and a past.[12]
From: The Little Flowers of St. Francis
(1) The gentleman stated that he was ready to obey the commandments of St. Francis and to give all his possessions to the poor, disburdening himself of every temporal thing.[13]
From: Expositions of Holy Scripture
(1) The text says that man, with eternity in his heart, with the hunger in his spirit after an unchanging whole, an absolute good, an ideal perfectness, an immortal being—is condemned to the treadmill of transitory revolution.[14] (2) The everlasting aspects of life, which are revealed when the transience of the temporal is fully understood, and which give true magnitude to the temporal.[15] (3) The lasting, invisible realities that are to be seen with assurance, through faith, which is superior to the keenest sight in the brightest sunshine.[16]
From: The Second Helvetic Confession
(1) These include divine grace, remission of sins, and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, representing the promises of a heavenly nature.[17]
From: The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite
(1) These are the things that, becoming, became, as Heraclitus would say, as mentioned by Amelius in his writings, as the provided text explains.[18]
Gnostic concept of 'Eternal thing'
From: Fragments of a Faith Forgotten
(1) Concepts or aspects that are considered everlasting and true, contrasting with the fleeting nature of worldly perceptions.[19]